Inheritance
by Winteresque
Summary: When Fujitaka Kinomoto passes away, Sakura is adopted by her mother's family, the Amamiya, one of the most influential families in Japan. In Hong Kong, Sakura Amamiya is training to inherit a fortune, but will Sakura Kinomoto find true love at last?
1. Chapter 1

_When Sakura's father passes away, her grandparents, the Amamiyas, sweep her out of Japan and into Hong Kong in order to turn her into their future heiress. But Hong Kong holds more than simply an excessive fortune and a multinational corporation to run for Sakura Amamiya. After all, Sakura Kinomoto still has unfinished business with one Syaoran Li, future heir to the equally power Li clan. When their love could not flourish even away from all the political intrigues of the rich, how will they ever hope to find happiness amidst money, power and fame?_

* * *

"Miss Amamiya?" called out a sweet voice, frustration and irritation very thinly concealed despite her years of service, "_Miss…"_

"Present!" exclaimed one Sakura Amamiya, instinctively attempting to rise from her seat and raise her hand simultaneously, only to hit her head on the baggage compartment situated above her head.

"Itai," she cried softly, wincing and placing a hand to her head, smiling sheepishly as she slowly sank back into her seat. The lady before her, immaculately suited up, each strand of silver hair wrapped carefully into a steely grey bun, was terribly unimpressed. Sakura laughed nervously.

"Miss Amamiya" – "Can't you just call me Sakura?" – "_Miss Amamiya_. I was hired by Mr and Mrs Amamiya to groom you into the future leader of the Amamiya Corporation, one of the most respectable and influential transnational corporations in the world. I do not believe you have quite understood your position as an heiress who will be the face of this company in the future and represent both the shareholders and the employees to the public. Your embarrassment becomes the company's embarrassment. As such, we _cannot allow for mistakes_. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sensei," she replied, bowing her head dutifully before following strict instructions to sit straight, shoulders back, legs together, one ankle behind the other, hands placed neatly on her lap. Inwardly, she sighed. Where was Touya? What was Tomoyo doing right now?

Looking upwards, she held back the tears that welled in her eyes and threatened to fall.

'_Otou-san, Okaa-san, I miss you so much.'_

* * *

"Okaa-san, let me go."

Sonomi Daidoji eyed her only daughter searchingly. Did she have any idea what she was asking? Didn't she understand there was a reason behind why she had married, why she had moved to Tomoeda from Tokyo at the first possible instance? She had done everything she could to protect Sakura, and still it wasn't enough, yet here her daughter was, asking to do exactly that.

"Do you understand what you are asking of me? If you go there, I might not be able to protect you from them."

Tomoyo returned her mother's look with determination. Even after all the hacking and the researching, she still possessed only limited information about the Amamiya family, but what she did know was that the fight for the right to succeed the Head of the family was always messy. It was also the reason that Sonomi had been forced into an arranged marriage and dived into assisting the husband whom she respected, if not loved, with his business.

And here she was. A powerful single mother running a successful toy company all on her own whilst raising a beautiful and talented teenage daughter.

"I want to protect her."

Sonomi smiled wistfully and held out her hand. Tomoyo took it, running into an embrace with the mother she rarely saw.

"Be careful," she whispered to her daughter, stroking her silky purple tresses (a/n: does that sound as awkward to read as it does to write?).

"I will," she replied softly, enjoying the rare opportunity to spend some time with the mother whom she admired and adored.

* * *

"Otou-san, she protected me so now it's my turn to protect her and I promise I'll bring her to see you soon," he vowed, placing the bouquet of snow white cherry blossoms onto the grave stone as he stood up from his crouching position.

"She'll be okay," offered Yukito, smiling comfortingly as he placed a slight but sturdy hand on Touya's shoulder. Touya nodded wordlessly and picked up his suitcase.

"Have you signed the contract?" he asked, changing the topic. Yukito took the hint and did not press further.

After all, it was impossible to imagine how Touya must be feeling; a protective older brother whose younger sister had effectively given up her entire future save him from an arranged marriage he did not desire. And revealing her Sakura cards to close the deal… it had left him with no opportunity to refute her suitability to be a candidate in this hunt to become the President of the Amamiya empire instead of her brother.

Just as their grandparents had suspected, the magic that flowed through the veins of Nadeshiko Amamiya had been passed down to her children. And now Sakura would be dragged through the blood and shadows of that great family, all of the sake of money, power and fame.

"Everything's been organised, but we don't have enough money to cover the initial costs completely, so it will be an enormous risk. If we don't succeed within the first month…"

"I'll find a way to cover the costs," replied Touya reassuringly. Yukito gave him resigned smile. Once Touya had decided to do something, it was almost impossible to prevent him from carrying it out, even if it meant risking his health to do it.

* * *

"Shut up!" growled Syaoran as the sound of metal against metal rang out through the dojo.

"But why, my cute little descendant, when I'm only telling the truth?" sang a very complacent Eriol Hiiragizawa, easily deflecting Syaoran's attack as he flicked strands of blue hair out of his eyes.

"I am _not_ weak," Syaoran snarled in return, sweeping his sword to Eriol's left.

"Missed again," he called out, a small smirk beginning to form at the corner of his lips. It was plain to anybody who might be watching that Eriol was clearly enjoying himself, seemingly without exerting an ounce of effort.

Before Syaoran had another chance to attack, Eriol had flicked the sword out of his grasp. Panting as he stood his ground, Syaoran glowered at the smug azure eyes that seemed to pierce through his soul. The sword landed with a crash against the wooden floorboards between the two. Without bothering to wait, Syaoran lunged forward, easily avoiding the sword that Eriol frequently brought too close to his head, or neck, or heart. Just as he found an opening and moved to trip over his opponent, the gong sounded and as though it were the most natural thing in the world, both boys ceased their attacks and stood up fluidly, as though there had never been a fight to begin with. Stepping back and bowing to one another, they both walked out of the dojo wordlessly and turned to walk in opposite directions.

Before he could turn the corner, however, Eriol paused and tilted his head slightly to watch Syaoran's retreating back contemplatively. Readjusting his glasses, he removed his hands from his pocket and observed them amusedly. His right hand, the one that had been wielding the sword, had swollen as though he had broken a bone. And that last string of attacks… Syaoran had forced him into giving that opening without even consciously calculating it. Eriol considered this bemusedly; his cute little descendant was steadily growing stronger and even his magical barrier was beginning to cave under Syaoran's strength.

"Master Hiiragizawa, we have received notice that _she_ has been in Hong Kong for approximately a fortnight."

Eriol raised his eyebrow at the servant before him, who cowered a little under the icy blue stare of his master.

"A fortnight ago? And you have only just informed me?"

"She was travelling under a different name, Master Hiiragizawa," replied the young man, licking his lips, "It was difficult to discover even the little information we have."

This time, Eriol turned to face the man completely, intrigued. What reason could there possibly be for even those who worked under the name of the Li Clan to have difficulty extracting information?

"She travels under the name, Sakura Amamiya."

Eriol dismissed the man and smiled secretively to himself. Things were becoming more and more interesting. The Amamiya family had begun to take action.

* * *

When the door opened, a hush fell over the entire classroom and Sakura blushed, feeling their eyes on her. How could they tell that she wasn't one of them; that she wasn't born into this elite world, so elegant and unwelcoming?

"Class, please welcome your new classmate, Amamiya, Sakura, who has recently transferred here from Japan. Miss Amamiya, please take a seat."

And she felt very uncomfortable in their pricey, well-ironed uniform, so different to her carefree, loose-fitting public school blouse and skirt. The deep navy, high-waisted A-line skirt billowed barely below her knees, rather than an inch below; the crisp white shirt was tailored awkwardly, her torso being slightly shorter, her legs being slightly longer, but this was hidden, tucked neatly away within her skirt. Her Sensei had been very annoyed, but there was no helping it, with such short notice, they could not fit it appropriately.

Her honey coloured locks, normally curled gently about her face, had been pulled back into a high ponytail, expect the thin tendrils behind each ear, and a wide white satin headband pulled back her bangs to reveal long, thick lashes. Under the broad-shouldered uniform blazer, her slim shoulders shifted uncomfortably. Around her neck she wore a silk scarf, deep gold in colour, tied into a large blowsy bow, another mandatory uniform accessory. She shuffled her feet, covered in beige stockings and obviously new Mary Janes, eyes downcast, and wished desperately to magically disappear.

"… Miss Amamiya? You may sit down now."

Another moment passed before Sakura looked up, realising, yet again, that Amamiya was now her maiden name. Eyes wide in surprise, she instinctively placed a hand to her hair and smiled sheepishly.

"Dui bu qi, Zhang Lao Shi," she replied in fluent mandarin before bowing and taking her place amongst the students.

She hadn't realised that she had captured the attention of all her classmates when she had looked up with those vivid emerald eyes of hers, so large and bright, shining with innocence. Nor did she realise that she had captured their hearts with her simple childish, but adorable, gestures. Mr Zhang raised an eyebrow at her fluent mandarin, mildly impressed, but said nothing.

"Li Xiao Lang zai!" called a voice from the hallway that made Sakura's heart stop beating.

"Mr Li, I acknowledge that, as a candidate for the future leader of the Li Clan, you have many urgent issues to attend to, but this does not excuse tardiness, particularly in my classroom so early in the school year. Please take your seat. I will not be lenient should this be repeated a second time."

One tall, slender boy with messy brown hair and deep chocolate-coloured eyes bowed and rushed to his seat. Only Eriol, lounging in his chair comfortably, noticed the initial hesitation in his steps when he noticed the new beauty who had entered their classroom. Eriol chuckled inwardly when he noticed that Sakura had frozen up completely and could only stare at the boy who had just entered.

Tapping his pen lightly and rhythmically on his tabletop, Eriol wondered how such magically inclined people could possibly have been shocked by such meetings. He had noticed both Sakura and Syaoran's presence the moment they stepped onto the school grounds, yet Syaoran had failed to notice Sakura just as Sakura had failed to notice Eriol even though they'd been in the same classroom. It seemed his cute little descendent needed further intensive training.

When the sound of a bell announced lunch time, Sakura found herself surrounded before she could so much as glance in Syaoran's direction.

"Hi! My name's Shen Li Ren, a pleasure to…"

"… I'm from the Huang family, we specialise in…"

"… The Jiang family has always been very grateful to the Amiyama Corporation…"

"… Are holding a ball next week, would you like to…"

"… And our grandfathers always play golf together on the weekends…"

Smiling awkwardly, she nodded and returned the various greetings and invitations, all a blurry mix of Chinese, Japanese and English, as best she could. She'd never been an exchange student before, but she'd seen the way curious students attacked them with a multitude of questions at her old school, except never quite like this. What had happened to asking after her favourite music, or her hobbies, or even her life in Japan?

"Sa-ku-ra!~" exclaimed one very familiar voice that caught Sakura's attention immediately before she found herself on the ground, having fallen off her chair.

"Tomoyo!" she exclaimed after the initial shock had worn off and her vision sharpened enough for her to identify the familiar scent of lavender and the ticklish feel of long, wavy purple hair against her cheeks.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" demanded Tomoyo, pouting. Standing up, she proffered her hand and hoisted Sakura up before turning to see all eyes observing her with confusion, surprise and extreme curiosity.

"Good afternoon, my name is Daidoji, Tomoyo, upcoming fashion designer, daughter of Sonomi Daidoji and Sakura-chan's cousin. I apologise for my tardiness as I needed to complete the final designs of my new line, _Majestica_, prior to flying. I will be transferring into this class starting tomorrow. I hope we will get along."

She made a graceful bow and gave an enchanting smile. The class hesitated, unsure whether they were genuinely seeing the tiara perched atop her purple tresses, or whether it was simply a figment of their imagination. She was truly a reincarnation of an ancient regal princess of some sort.

"Sa-chan, I've missed filming you soooo much!" exclaimed the new girl, hugging Sakura a little too tightly as she turned red under her honey coloured hair.

"Tomo-chan… need… air…"

"Oh! Sorry! But I was just soooo excited and…"

The class sweat-dropped as they re-evaluated their estimation of the Daidoji heir. Maybe she wasn't _that_ regal after all. The pair of new transfer students, however, made quite the impression on their fellow students and were almost immediately at home with them, endeared to their peers by their easy tempers and kindly ways.

"Sakura! Tomoyo!" exclaimed yet another familiar voice, this time one that made their classmates stiffen and instinctively withdraw from the source as it moved closer towards the two girls.

"Meiling!" exclaimed Sakura in surprise as a pair of fierce ruby eyes gazed upon her and pulled her into a tight embrace that Tomoyo cheerfully jumped into.

"Miss Li, may I please remind you that school is _not_ a playground and you _cannot_ decide that you are, in fact, _not_ ill halfway through the day in order to attend lunch break for a reunion!" snapped Mr Zhang, leaning against the doorway and rubbing at his temples.

"Sorry," replied Meiling indifferently, bowing stiffly at the teacher before turning her back on him and launching into a long winded conversation with her two friends from long ago. Mr Zhang slumped and sighed. Why did he even bother?

A week had passed and still Syaoran had made no attempt to contact her. Sakura sighed despondently. She had always hoped that her letters had simply gone astray… but no. This was proof that he simply didn't want her in his life.

* * *

"Sakura-chan!" called out the singsong chorus of one Tomoyo Daidoji and one Meiling Li.

"Ohayo, Tomo-chan, Mei-chan," she greeted cheerfully, "Where are we going today?"

"Eriol-kun suggested a new café that opened about a week ago. They're doing a promotion special and the waiters are really cute!" exclaimed Meiling cheerfully.

"But Mei-chan! You promised to take me to the street with all the boutiques…"

"But that's after lunch! You can't shop this early in Hong Kong. Just you wait! We'll have so much fun!"

Sakura involuntarily stepped back as the two girls clasped hands and gazed at one another, starry-eyed and shining brightly. Inwardly she sighed. There was no need to so much as guess who would be trying on the outfits they'd be choosing. Still, anything had to be better and less restrictive than the mock two-piece dress her Sensei had chosen, with its frilly white blouse and tapered black pin skirt. At least she'd gotten away with a pair of plain black kitten heels and a basic Bvulgari watch. She sighed, feeling more like 50 than 15.

For a moment she recalled that Syaoran's birthday would be at the end of the term, just as hers had passed only a little over a week ago. But she'd had nobody to celebrate it with because she'd spent the entire day sitting in an airplane instead of out enjoying herself with her friends. How were Rika, Naoko and Chiharu doing without her? What did they think of their new schools?

"Saku-chan? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Tomoyo, let's go," she replied, smiling brightly. Her cousin smiled resignedly – Sakura would, after all, always be Sakura. She never wanted anybody to worry about her. Still, if her recent ordeals had affected her substantially, it certainly didn't show. She was still able to laugh and smile with the same vigour she'd always possessed.

When Meiling glanced at Tomoyo, the two exchanged a wry smile. Meiling wasn't stupid – she'd been born into and grown up around the world of the rich, but Sakura still hadn't explained why she was now an Amamiya. Nevertheless, this did not stop the three girls, now the talk of the entire senior section of their high school let alone the junior division, from enjoying themselves as they basked under the warmth of spring. It would undoubtedly rain later and spoil the loveliness of the current climate, but for now they were safe.

"This is it!"

Sakura blinked. The shop front before her was mostly a clear window, but with a wooden balcony out front and pot plants to boot. Classy, but warm and welcoming. She was positive she'd never been there before, after all, it was new, and yet it seemed so familiar somehow.

"How long are you planning to stand there looking like a confused codfish, kaijuu?"

"HOE?"

Leaning against the entrance with an empty metal tray in one hand, dressed smartly in a white shirt with black pants and shoes, a black apron tied around his waist, Touya Kinomoto raised an eyebrow at his little sister who had yet to close her mouth. If anything, her jaw had dropped even lower.

"Sakura, ohayo!" greeted Yukito Tsukishiro, magically appearing behind Touya. He waved briefly before setting down an order on a number of tables with a smile that made all the girls gaze dreamily at him.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura blurted when Meiling and Tomoyo had finally managed to usher a stunned Sakura into the café and seated her at the table nearest the kitchen so they could converse more readily with Touya and Yukito.

"We opened the café we always wanted to," replied Yukito with a smile as he looked up at Touya earnestly. Touya responded by grunting and looking away, moving to serve another customer.

It finally clicked. So _that_ was why the café had seemed so familiar. She'd seen those café front designs a hundred times; watched them pour over theme after theme after theme, trying to assess what would work best and how to best cater for any particular type of crowd in any certain suburb.

"But why here?"

Yukito smiled secretively and moved away.

"It makes sense though," commented Meiling absently. Tomoyo nodded thoughtfully in understanding, but upon seeing Sakura's expression of puzzlement, elaborated.

"In Hong Kong, there's been a recent increase in the popularity of Japanese culture, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. In fact, if anything, it's expected to increase substantially. Having two attractive young Japanese men running a Japanese-based café in the middle of Hong Kong is the perfect way to attract young kids willing to spend a lot of money to follow Japanese culture."

"The café culture is also very strong in Hong Kong," added Meiling, nodding in agreement.

Sakura couldn't help but feel that the main reason, however, was that _she_ was there. Touya had always been over-protective. There was no way he'd allow his younger sister to move to Hong Kong and study there alone.

'_Arigato, onii-san.'_

The girls waited patiently for the boys to finish their work, but the line of customers seemed endless and there was never any real opportunity to speak to them properly.

"Kaijuu, go shopping with your friends. Come back when we're closed."

"Sakura kaijuu ja nai mon!" she yelled back childishly at her brother's retreating back, crossing her arms in a huff.

"Come on, Sakura," cajoled Tomoyo laughingly, "We'll come back when they're free."

Sakura, still venting from being called a monster _again_ when she had hoped for a happy, peaceful reunion with her brother, was being Sakura and not paying any attention whatsoever to where she placed her feet when she walked towards the balcony stairs.

"Sakura be-!"

"HOE!~"

"Are you alright?"

"Itai..." moaned Sakura as she felt her ankle twist a little from her heels and looked up to see what, or who, she had fallen into. She could feel the warmth of his body against hers, so secure and comforting, in his unexpected embrace. For a moment she held her breath and felt her feet give way completely as emerald eyes fixed upon amber ones.

"Syao-kun!"

Stiffening at her voice, Syaoran quickly pulled her into an upright position and moved her away from her place against his chest just seconds ago.

"Amiyama-san," he greeted with a shallow nod of the head, "Daidoji-san, Meiling."

And without another word, he hurried off despite the angry protests of his outraged cousin.

* * *

Omg! First chapter complete! Hope you enjoyed it~ If you did, don't forget to let me know by sending me a comment! =)

Love from ~ s2. Winteresque_ ;;Because dreams are the melodies your heart sings as you sleep _


	2. Chapter 2

Demigod Witch 96: Thank you soooo much for pointing that out! It's been a REALLY long time since I last followed CCS.

And thank you so much to everyone who bothered to post a review!~ My internet is being dodgy and I'm scared that it'll crash before I finish typing, so I will definitely thank everybody properly later!

* * *

'_Amamiya-san.'_ That's what he had called her. Not Saku-chan, not Sakura, not even Kinomoto, but Amamiya-san. As though the Sakura Kinomoto he had known only a few years ago had ceased to exist altogether. As though her heart had evaporated into the silence of the years that separated their intimacy as partners, friends, companions, and the possibility of something more.

But that had been long ago. She had tried, she really had. But letter after unanswered letter had made her resolve waver; had made her disheartened and doubtful that thing that had never quite become anything substantial. To Syaoran Li, Sakura Kinomoto had undoubtedly disappeared the day he'd returned to Hong Kong and the Li Clan, a world so unapproachable by a small town Japanese girl that he may as well have been a figment of her imagination.

"Sakura!" sang Tomoyo cheerfully, "Have you finished dressing?"

"Did you fall asleep in the change rooms, or catch your hair on the zipper?" teased Meiling.

Snapped out of her reverie, Sakura quickly tugged the tight-fitting pink dress over her head, her arms feeling through the layers of muslin and tulle to no effect until finally she felt her arm slip through a hole and –

"Itai!"

Both Meiling and Tomoyo exchanged looks of bemused resignation as Sakura opened the door, teary eyed, head tilted and dress falling awkwardly on her frame. With skilful fingers, Tomoyo undid the knot of Sakura's pretty auburn hair that had attached itself to the cuff of the dress's 3/4 sleeves and stepped back, staring her friend up and down with a critical eye.

"She needs a nice watch to match her outfit," remarked Meiling, arms crossed as she frowned, trying to assess precisely what was missing.

"No, it's the dress. The designer should've gone for a sweetheart neckline over the polo. It would've made it much cuter and shown off the model's figure to greater advantage."

Meiling nodded in agreement and Sakura couldn't help but be amused at Tomoyo's choice of words. Model? The stress of trying to simultaneously study and run her new line was finally beginning to show. A sudden despairing exclamation from Tomoyo almost made Sakura's heart stop.

"What is it?" asked a frantic Meiling.

"We have to leave now or we'll be late for Touya-san and Yukito-san… But there are still so many outfits I want Saku-chan to try…"

Sakura didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Patting her friend on the shoulder, she left comforting Tomoyo up to Meiling as she changed back into the outfit her Sensei had chosen for her. As she did, she couldn't help but wonder what her brother must be feeling, seeing her in an annoyingly constraining corporate dress.

"Giving a pigeon the tails of a peacock won't make it look any more like the beautiful peacock. In fact, it'll look even more foolish as a pigeon who's stupid enough to try to look like a peacock, kaijuu."

"Onii-san!" fumed Sakura and suddenly Touya's indifferent expression contorted into one of pain as he keeled over, trying very hard not to cry out.

"Who taught you how to punch like that, kaiiju?"

"Onii-"

Before the next blow could be dealt, Yukito had swiftly come between the two and offered Sakura some of their new tea blossoms.

"Tea blossoms?" inquired Sakura curiously, her attention wholly diverted from the brother who had angered her only moments ago.

Yukito nodded and presented Sakura a glass of tea in a tall glass cup. Sakura gasped in delight as the strange flower bud sitting at the bottom of her drink slowly began to unfurl to reveal a string of flowers. Laughing, she clapped delightedly at the display, giddy as a six year old. Yukito set down glasses before Tomoyo and Meiling, who responded in a manner more graceful that any Sakura could ever consciously consider.

"And this is the Amamiya heir," remarked Touya with a raised eyebrow, lounged casually in his seat across from his sister's, where there was no threat of being physically abused.

Sakura stuck her tongue out childishly in response. As if he would've been any better!

"Won't you get into trouble if you remain here for too long, Meiling?" asked Yukito with a concerned frown.

Meiling shrugged, "I've been ordered to keep a close watch so that my cousin and Sakura do not meet. Whether this is achieved by tailing Syaoran or befriending Sakura is of no consequence to the Li Elders."

Sakura turned to stare at Meiling in absolute astonishment. "Why?" she asked, bewildered.

Everybody but Touya stared curiously at her. Did she honestly not know? Had she not been notified? For a moment, they reflected that they had never thought to tell her because it was assumed that they were not the appropriate party to disclose the information, as well known as it was. Then all eyes turned to stare accusingly at Touya, who shrugged nonchalantly and uncomfortably diverted his gaze elsewhere.

Rolling her eyes, Tomoyo gently took her second cousin's hands into her own, "Sakura, the Amamiya family and the Li family have been at odds for centuries, as warriors, business competitors and every other way imaginable. Haven't you read it in the newspapers?"

It suddenly occurred to Sakura that she had indeed, but those names had meant almost nothing to her. Syaoran was Syaoran, Sakura was Sakura. The names "Li" and "Amamiya" held no significance in her life. Or so she had thought.

"But there's nothing between us anymore," she forced herself to openly acknowledge, resulting in cautious side glances and some clenched fists.

"Precautions," Meiling replied flippantly as Touya and Yukito simultaneously moved from their seats. Sakura, however, was so engrossed in this depressing realisation that she barely noticed, until –

"Happy birthday!"

Astonished to the point of tears, Sakura could barely speak as these people, so dear to her, apologised simultaneously in a crazy jumble of voices that formed almost no coherent sense to the poor girl. All she could do was choke out laughter as teardrop after teardrop fell from her shining emerald eyes.

* * *

"Why so moody, my cute little descendent?" teased Eriol, his blue hair swaying gently in the wind.

"Get out of my room," snapped Syaoran, leaning heavily against the railing of the balcony connected to his bedroom, not even bothering to glance away from staring vacantly at the moon that was steadily disappearing behind grey clouds.

"But I'm not in your room," the other boy pointed out smugly from his seated position atop the roof of the Li palace.

And it was, indeed, like an oriental palace, what with its glazed ceramic tiled roof in a brilliant fiery red, its corners sporting figurines of dragons and phoenixes. Almost a village in and of itself, the grounds consisted of multiple buildings, the most extravagant, however, being that of the main house with its excessively large staircase leading up to the entrance of the building. Not to mention the gardens, well tended and in full blossom all throughout the year at the front, but a shroud of dark wilderness behind the main area.

Syaoran's residence, however, had been moved, at his request, from the main building to a smaller building closer to the forest that he had grown up with. There he was away from the hustle and bustle of the main living headquarters and free to do as he pleased.

Well, as free as the heir of the Li clan could possibly be.

"Leave," repeated Syaoran, deadpanned.

"Still crying over the fact that your cute little cherry blossom is now a part of the Li clan's biggest rival household?"

Syaoran gave no response. There was none to give. Both families being wielders of magic as well as being of a long ancient lineage of power and wealth, it was inevitable that they would be at odds with one another. That Syaoran had failed to capture the Clow cards and even assisted Sakura with transforming them into the Sakura cards had already brought about dishonour as far as the elders were concerned. After that he had been ordered to return to the main household and removed from the friends he had made.

Or, in the words of the elders, "away from the manipulative dark arts of that witch child".

And his position as heir was in jeopardy. It wasn't necessarily because he truly desired the power that came with being the head of the Li Clan; rather, he had promised. He had promised his father that he would become a man worthy of being the head of the Li Clan, someone who would be able to protect his family and those he cared deeply about. It was the last promise he ever made to his father.

"She's not mine," he finally replied, rising to his full height and flexing his arms casually.

That was right. She'd never been his. Even after everything… He hadn't heard a word from her after he'd left Japan, but he had no right to blame her. He knew it. It was entirely his fault. He was the one, after all, who had broken her heart by leaving her behind. He didn't have the right to hope that she would chase after him.

But he'd always hoped, and now she was finally here. Or rather, Sakura Amamiya had arrived. Sakura Kinomoto, the girl he might've loved, was the only person in the world he could never be with if he hoped to fulfil his promise to his father. The Li Clan would never accept an Amamiya into the family. And so Sakura Kinomoto was lost to him forever.

"But of course," purred Eriol, "She is the symbol of the Amamiya family's defiance. The greatest magic wielder of her time – not even the Li clan, the descendants of Clow himself, can readily call themselves superior."

Syaoran anticipated, and smoothly dodged, the three very fine needles that now lay, embedded into the floorboards he had been standing upon only moments ago. Swinging himself up onto the roof swiftly, his heavy kick landed on, and obliterated, the tiles that Eriol had been sitting on. The blue haired mage pulled out his staff from seemingly out of nowhere and aimed a blow to the back of Syaoran's knees during the tiniest fraction of a second that Syaoran left an opening to regain his balance.

The staff made contact, but only with the metal scabbard that Syaoran had lodged between the tiles of the roof, throwing another kick at Eriol, which the mage blocked with the opposite end of his staff. Both boys stepped away, standing upright, weapons again nowhere to be found. Moonlight illuminated their emotionless expressions, the wind pulling at their hair and loose button-up shirts. The broken tiles under Syaoran's bare feet were sharp and jabbed uncomfortably into his soles, but did not pierce through his rough skin. Eriol, wearing traditional cotton shoes, fared little better, but both boys displayed no signs of discomfort or pain.

"Wei's going to have a _really_ hard time mending the roof _again_ if you keep this up," snapped one very harassed-sounding Meiling as she tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossed, glaring up at her cousin.

Eriol smirked, "Seems like you have more than enough to deal with tonight, my darling relative," he drawled before disappearing into the dark.

Syaoran glowered at the retreating back before, sighing in resignation, dropped easily onto the railing of his balcony and walked inside.

"Go away, Meiling. Not tonight."

As if that would be enough to convince her to leave. Before he had even reached his bedroom door, sounds of wood and rice paper crumbling under the force of his cousin's kick against his sliding doors alerted him to her temper for the evening. Especially as she knew very well that there wasn't even a lock on those doors.

Yes, tonight would be a _very_ long night.

* * *

Sakura Kinomoto had always been her mother's daughter, though she herself had never been aware of it, and Nadeshiko Kinomoto had been one of the most celebrated models of her time. At 15, Sakura was already 5'5" and still growing, much to her dismay. Her Sensei had already embarrassed her repeatedly before an entourage of clothing designers by reprimanding her for wearing clothing that was clearly too large, too loose, too unfashionable. In the few days she'd been under her Sensei's tutelage, her recently hunched shoulders had been straightened out again, revealing, to her discomfort, that she was no longer a child.

She had awkwardly acknowledged to herself that she definitely wasn't ugly, if the occasional confessions during middle high were anything to go by. Still, she hadn't anticipated this.

When Amamiya Sakura and Daidoji Tomoyo stepped out of their limousine, they paused as three boys magically appeared before them and rolled out a red carpet, bowing deeply before them before stepping aside.

"In honour of our Princesses," they chorused, bowing again before motioning that they should walk onwards. Amused, Tomoyo glided through the gates first, followed by a significantly more awkward, but subsequently much more adorable, Sakura, who hesitantly thanked them as she passed.

"Is it just me, or did something happen across the weekend?" asked Meiling as she entered their classroom, casually loosening her joints as though she'd recently caused certain unsuspecting people a lot of damage.

"Most likely, but I don't think I'll ever get bored of filing Sakura blush every time someone calls her Sakura-hime!" exclaimed Tomoyo gleefully, taping even now the blush that was spreading across her cousin's face.

"Tomo-chan!" insisted Sakura, pouting, "Don't make fun of me!"

"It's entirely your fault, Tomoyo, for tailoring our uniforms too well. Now we'll never get rid of those fanboys," grumbled Meiling, throwing another dirty at the window and sending a group of juniors scampering away for their lives.

Tomoyo smiled diffidently, showing no signs of guilt or regret. She could already see the beginnings of a crowd outside their dorm room again. There had been some negative consequences to her actions, perhaps, but it was clear that one Syaoran Li couldn't keep his eyes off her dear little cousin as a result. After all, it certainly wouldn't hurt to remind him that her dear little cousin wasn't as little as she used to be and that she wouldn't stay a little girl forever.

Now that Sakura's uniform actually fit her, nobody could help but notice her slim waist, her slender limbs and –ahem – how well endowed she was becoming. To Sakura, however, her uniform still fell uncomfortably on her frame. She would much rather be in her sneakers than her Mary Janes, and she'd definitely prefer a pair of cargo pants over this silly high waisted skirt.

Catching one boy by the arm, Syaoran raised an eyebrow at the camera the boy held protectively against his chest, noticing his friend hurry away with multiple copies of photos, including candid shots of Sakura, Meiling and Tomoyo. Struggling very hard to retain his composure, he glowered at the poor boy.

"Leave," he hissed coldly and, shoving the boy out of his way, took his seat behind Sakura's assigned chair.

As Mr Zhang walked into the room, he couldn't help but sigh a little. He had laughed when his good friend, Terada Sensei, had spoken of the difficulties of having Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li in his classroom. It was, after all, impossible that a public school could be half as difficult to control in comparison to a school designed solely for rich students, and yet, he was realising precisely how difficult it would be, having such popular students in his class.

"Jiang Tong xue, what exactly are you doing hiding under my desk?" he asked of the student who sheepishly crawled out and ran back to his appropriate dorm.

"Miss Amamiya, if you will please take your seat instead of sitting on Miss Li's desk, we may begin."

Sakura apologised quickly before slipping into her seat and pulling out her notebook. If she wanted to fulfil her side of the bargain and keep Touya from his arranged marriage, she'd have to pay attention in math to become one of the top ten students in the most prestigious international school in Hong Kong.

"Are you experiencing some difficulty, Miss Amamiya?" asked a smooth male voice that made Sakura almost jump out of her chair, only to face the cheerful face of a senior she had never seen before.

"I'm not very good at math," she admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"In which case, might I…"

"Trouble you with the request that you leave? I will assist Miss Amamiya should she need any help, rest assured," came a grim voice and stoic expression.

The senior raised an eyebrow and would have commented on the impudence of the boy's tone towards his seniors, but he was a Li and it was not worth the trouble.

"As you wish, Li," he replied flippantly and left the classroom.

"Syaoran!" exclaimed Sakura, surprised as the childhood friend who had ignored her for a week suddenly pulled up a chair beside her.

"Don't trust people so easily, Sakura," he growled, "You're an Amamiya now." She didn't miss the exhaustion or the conflict that was splashed across his face.

"Which question?"

Sakura stared at him, dumbfounded. He'd ignored her for a week after finally seeing her in three years, and that was the only thing he could think to say to her? She wanted to stand up and slap him across the face, yell at him and storm out the door. How dare he think that he could just stop by in her life every now and then when it suited him? Did he have any idea how many questions she had, how much she wanted to know?

And yet, despite all her anger, all her disappointment, all her despair, she couldn't bring herself to throw away this one single moment in time to which she had waited so long to return.

"This one," she mumbled, pointing at the question and nodding quietly in turn as Syaoran methodically explained the correct response, just as he'd always done, all those years ago.

* * *

Excuse the second chapter that seems almost like a filler =x Promise it'll get better once I've finished establishing the backstory!

Love from ~ s2. Winteresque_ ;;Because dreams are the melodies your heart sings as you sleep _


	3. Chapter 3

"And how are you doing, Hiiragizawa-san?" asked Tomoyo innocently, materialising before Eriol and blocking his direct path towards Syaoran and Sakura.

"Much better now that I have the pleasure of seeing your face regularly again, Daidouji-hime," he replied smoothly.

"I'm glad," she replied calmly, looking him straight in the eye, "then you will not suffer too much if I resort to drastic measures to keep you from interrupting any developments between our families because you won't ever forget my face after that."

"Your lovely visage is rarely far from my thoughts, my lady, but do I detect a threat, Daidouji-hime?"

"Princesses make promises, not threats," came the cool reply as Tomoyo turned to walk away, her thick lavender tendrils passing across Eriol's cheek with enough force for it to sting, despite its soft texture.

Eriol watched her retreating back with an amused smirk as he paused by Meiling's table.

"The Elders will not be happy with this development," he remarked.

"What the Elders request of me and how I follow their directions are of none of your concern," she replied flatly, her legs propped on her desk, her chair balancing dangerously on its back legs.

She didn't like to admit it when he was right, but Meiling was caught. As disdainful as she was of the Elders, she was still part of the Li family and was subsequently obligated to do as they ordered. But it had taken them so long to finally reunite…

"_What the hell do you think you're doing, acting like such a stranger towards her? Weren't you in love with her? Didn't you promise to come back for her?"_

"_Don't jump to conclusions, Meiling," he replied as indifferently as he could in his current state of harassment. Damn that Eriol!_

"_Don't you 'Meiling' me! She waited for you all those years even though the only thing she ever received was silence and…"_

"_Nobody asked her to," he snapped back, "And how can you respond to silence with anything other than silence?"_

"_I realise this may be a difficult concept for a socially awkward idiot such as yourself to comprehend, Syaoran, but conversations have to begin somewhere and they generally require second party participation," she retorted sarcastically._

"_How could I begin when the last thing I told her was goodbye?"_

"_It wouldn't have killed you to at least reply to her letters, Syaoran! Writing doesn't take up all that much time and… What? Why are you staring at me like that?"_

"_What letters?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_What letters?" he repeated._

_As a mutual understanding quietly dawned upon the pair, confusion was quickly replaced by anger. There was, after all, only one person who could be held accountable for such actions._

_Eriol._

As the days progressed, Syaoran had gradually begun to talk to Sakura, if only to help her with her math work during lunch hour. He couldn't, after all, risk conversing with her in any other way that might suggest greater intimacy, or meet with her outside of inevitable conditions without raising alarm. Meiling sighed a little, recalling Syaoran's insistence that she didn't clarify the misunderstanding with Sakura because he didn't want her to have to acknowledge so soon the ridiculous feud that would invariably affect their futures and their friendship. As always, all he could do was try and protect her from afar and hope for the best.

"Idiot," she grumbled under her breath as Tomoyo, now seated beside her, giggled delightedly, filming the pair happily.

* * *

The sound of gunfire echoed through the underground parking lot and an old man, leaning against his limousine, sighed and replaced his weapon in the holster hidden beneath his blazer.

"Mr Amamiya…"

Masaki Amamiya raised a hand to signal that he had not been hurt and his personal bodyguard, a young man of about thirty, stopped a respectful distance away from his master. The attempts on his life had been steadily increasing in the past few years, with his competitors and enemies convinced that old age would finally slow him down.

And so it had. Were it not for his bloodline, he would have died a long time ago, but blessed as he was with a sixth sense of sorts, he had evaded the grim reaper for more decades than most people were able to remain sound of mind. It was time, however, to announce the next target of the assassinators after the wealth of the Amamiya Empire.

* * *

"Ano…" she stuttered.

After their tentative days together, Sakura had become so confused that she was no longer certain how she should be addressing the boy who sat beside her and so she had resorted to not addressing him by any name altogether. The boy with the chocolate brown eyes gazing rather indifferently at her working out glanced up casually to hear her out.

"My great grandfather is holding a ball this weekend. I've never been to this sort of event and I was hoping…"

"I will be attending," interrupted Syaoran, not missing the beautiful expression on Sakura's face as her eyes lighted up, "as the Li family's representative. Meiling will be accompanying me as my partner so we will be present if you require any assistance."

If Syaoran felt any guilt or devastation upon watching Sakura's expression crumble and her eyes water, he did not show it. Instead, he excused himself for soccer practise. After a moment, Sakura beamed cheerfully at him, nodding enthusiastically, thanking him for his time yet again.

"I will not cry," she mumbled furiously to herself, rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve, "I will not…"

Suddenly she felt a hand tug her wrist gently away from her face and a sweet smile appear before her.

"You'll wrinkle prematurely and ruin those beautiful green eyes if you keep that up," he teased gently.

Sakura gasped in surprise as she recognised him, "You're the senior from the other day!"

The boy with the beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair smiled and mock bowed, "I'm honoured that our Sakura-hime remembers a lowly peasant such as myself."

Sakura blushed immediately, earning herself a laugh from the stranger.

"Alexis Fitzroy," he said, taking her hand and kissing it by way of introduction.

"Sakura Ki… Amamiya," she stammered, as he pulled himself upright to his full height.

"So, Sakura," he began, causing her to blush yet again to hear herself addressed so informally, "Tell me. What is your relationship with our infamous Syaoran Li?"

"Relationship?"

"Is he your lover?" he demanded with a smile.

"No!" she replied quickly. Too quickly. He raised an eyebrow.

"A crush, then."

Sakura hadn't realised that it was possible for her to redden any further, but her cheeks seemed to defy reason. Alexis smiled, bemused. She was cute, very cute. And very beautiful.

"Alas!" he cried dramatically, "Your heart already belongs to another, but! I shall persevere as Syaoran Li is undoubtedly a very worthy opponent. Be careful, Sakura-hime, or I may just steal your heart from him."

With that, he handed her a paper rose that seemed to materialise from within his jacket pocket and walked away, leaving Sakura completely speechless. Well, it wasn't everyday a girl found herself caught in such a bizarre situation.

"Congratulations, Saku-chan, you just caught the eye of the most popular boy in school and he has effectively made you the primary target of almost every female student on campus," remarked Meiling, staring at the retreating senior, "I must say though, he is _very_…"

"Delicious?" offered Tomoyo, materialising between the two girls with a wide grin that told Sakura that her cousin had caught every second of that rather awkwardly embarrassing moment on tape.

"So, Saku, dearest, if you insist on pining after my silly cousin," – "I am _not_ pining!" – "then may I take the liberty of stealing away your French prince?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura, puzzled. French prince? Tomoyo and Meiling blinked at one another, then stared at Sakura.

"Sometimes I wonder whether you live in a different dimension to us," commented Meiling, eyebrows raised, "Fitzroy is a French aristocrat who mysteriously decided to study in Hong Kong when he could have had the opportunity to go anywhere and do anything."

"He's also very eligible and _very_ single at the moment," added Tomoyo, the corners of her lips turning upwards.

"No way," insisted Sakura.

"It's not like anything would develop anyway," sighed Meiling, "You're _much_ too passive when it comes to relationships, even though you attack homework and monsters head on. _Where_ is the logic in that, I ask you?" she demanded, the last question addressed primarily to Tomoyo.

"Who knows?" sighed Tomoyo, echoing Meiling's despair, "I wait so long for my little girl to grow into a beautiful princess and yet she'll never find somebody because all they can do with her is _stare_ at her…"

"Hey!" Sakura protested.

"It's true though, you have no game," remarked Meiling sympathetically.

"Game?" she queried, confused now.

"Boys need more than just a pretty face, Sakura," Tomoyo instructed, "They need somebody who can match them in strength of mind. A pretty face will turn heads, but a clever mind will keep that head turned."

"My my, what sort of tutelage are you ladies providing our young Sakura-hime?"

"Not your concern, Hiiragizawa," spat Meiling, glowering.

"Is it not the concern of the student body to protect our lovely princesses from corruption and sin?"

Meiling wasn't sure how to respond when a number of the boys from their class suddenly appeared behind Eriol, cameras in hand, nodding furiously in agreement.

"Then I must request that you remain further from her vicinity, Hiiragizawa-san. Surely your face is more than enough to scar her for life," retorted Tomoyo casually, her tone dripping with honey sweet sarcasm, her smile as beautiful as the rose in all its thorned glory.

"Your words pain me, Tomoyo-hime," he cried, placing a hand over his heart, "I had not imagined you to be so superficial."

"I speak not of the face you were born with, but of the manifestation of your heart in every expression that contorts your physical appearance."

"So really," he surmised, a subtle smirk playing on his lips as he stepped closer towards her, "You've assessed my physical appearance and found me faultless, though you dislike me so much. Am I that attractive to you, hime?" he asked allowing a strand of her hair to slide smoothly through his fingertips.

"Very. You're the fly to my spider's web," she whispered, the euphony in her voice thinly concealing a poisonous threat, before moving effortlessly to her seat just as the teacher appeared.

"Touche," remarked Meiling, grinning, "And _that_, Saku-chan, is how the game is played."

Sakura stared blankly at Meiling, who seated herself upon the teacher's request, and frowned, feeling more conflicted and bewildered than ever.

"What game?" she hissed at Meiling, pouting.

* * *

"You look gorgeous Sakura!" gushed Meiling, clasping Sakura's hands between her own as the debutante blushed and mumbled her thank you.

It was another one of Tomoyo's creations after that insistent cousin of hers had steadily worn out even her sensei, who had eventually admitted defeat upon observing the gown. Tomoyo had turned a basic slip of a white satin dress into a river of different pink and white layers that trailed after their mistress. The sweetheart neckline, decorated with a simple pink bow, ended in a multitude of straps that fell gently over Sakura's otherwise bare arms.

"The cherry blossom lives up to her namesake. You are the blossom that lords above the rabble, Sakura-hime."

"Fitzroy-san!" she gasped in astonishment, "I hadn't realise you'd be attending tonight."

Alexis stared at her with his usual look of bemusement before kissing her hand gently as he bowed to his hostess, replying, "My father sends his regards and deepest apologies, but his health keeps him away tonight. I am representing him at this gathering."

Without letting go of her hand, however, he stepped closer, causing Sakura to blink in astonishment, "But please, Sakura-hime, I hope that to you I will at least be Alexis, if not beloved."

"Amamiya-san," greeted Syaoran coolly, materialising before her and rather effectively removing Alexis from her line of sight.

Sakura was unsure whether she had stammered a reply, but she recalled curtseying as she had been instructed and vaguely being surprised by how tall Syaoran had grown – tall enough to block even the French nobleman. Alexis, raising an eyebrow, smirked at this and, bowing to Meiling and Tomoyo who stood beside Sakura, casually sauntered into the crowd. Sakura blushed as Tomoyo elbowed her sharply, causing Sakura to finally look away from the Li cousins.

"And you say you're not pining," muttered Tomoyo as she grinned brightly at the approaching guests.

"I am _not_ pining!" Sakura hissed in return, her pout instantly turning into a beautiful smile as more people began to filter through the entrance.

* * *

"Ah, it is the Li family's young master. I'm honoured by your presence," drawled a voice that made the hairs on the back of Syaoran's neck stand up.

"Amamiya-san," he greeted in returned, bowing coldly. Inwardly, he smirked as the old man visibly stiffened in annoyance and rage.

"How dare you…"

"Stop," commanded Masaki. His assistant fell back immediately.

"You are as impetuous as ever, I see," the older gentleman remarked calmly.

"I will give my respect where I believe it is worthy, Sir," he retorted.

"And yet you are a dog of the Li Elders," commented Masaki almost idly as he turned to walk away before Syaoran had the opportunity to gain his composure.

"Meiling, put that away. Don't forget what we're here for."

The girl beside him scowled as her shuriken disappeared into the folds of her dress. But of course. For a Li to appear at a ball held by the Amamiya Company, there could only be ulterior motives. As a child, they were taught honourable traits, only to be reduced to underhanded trickery for the sake of the company. It wasn't the first and would not be the last time that Meiling cursed the elders for such hypocrisy.

"How you found her?" continued Syaoran dispassionately.

"The girl in the pastel blue western-styled ball gown with brown locks at one o'clock. She's currently talking to the heir of a chain of high class hotels all along the coast of some foreign country or another."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her cousin.

"What? He's not that important. Who cares about the details? Just hurry up and let's get out of here before Sakura sees you," she snapped impatiently as she left her cousin's side to saunter up to their target.

A sudden exclamation marked Syaoran's cue as he casually watched Meiling from the corner of his eye. His cousin, dressed in a deep red mermaid dress, was currently caught in the arms of the unknown heir, cleavage heaving, eyes watering as she stared up at her would be "saviour", whose suit she had "accidentally" spilt her cocktail all over when she'd "accidentally" tripped over. The girl he'd initially been talking to had been promptly forgotten, try as she might to exclaim at being splashed by the drink. As the poor boy, mesmerised by one very experienced Meiling Li, was coaxed into taking her upstairs to a bathroom, Syaoran casually walked past and offered the brunette his handkerchief.

"You are not hurt?" he asked gently as the girl stared up at him in surprise.

"Li-sama!" she breathed, shocked at his acknowledgement of her existence and awed by his presence.

He looked at her with an expression of great puzzlement, "Do I know you?"

She felt her heart sink momentarily but, emboldened by his presence, she made an effort to speak, "Forgive me for my rudeness, I only know you by reputation. I am Hsui Mei Hua. My father, Director Hua, is from the Shin Wa Shipping Company."

Syaoran smiled and bowed, formally introducing himself, adding, "But please, call me Syaoran."

The girl blushed despite herself when her eyes met his beautiful brown eyes that made her heart stop. Here was _the_ Syaoran Li, the infamous playboy of the Li Corporation whom she'd been warned against time after time, and yet, she could not help but fall in love with that smile, that light laugh, the gentle touch of his arm around her waist as he guided her away from the rabble to the balcony.

"I have a confession," admitted Syaoran, eyes downcast, an expression of troubled guilt written all over his face. Hsui Mei felt her heart stop beating. Was this the moment she'd heard about? The moment when he would admit that he knew exactly who she was and that his superiors had sent him? But that he didn't want this to end in the same way?

"I may have purposely asked my cousin to disrupt your interlude with that boy because I was a little jealous that he was talking to the most beautiful girl in the room and I wasn't. Was that too selfish of me?" he asked mildly, looking away from her as though thoroughly embarrassed by his confession.

She blinked in surprised, then giggled. Was this the suave lady killer that her cousin had described to her? Was this the cool, collected, indifferent Syaoran Li?

"Will you laugh at my distress?" mock-demanded Syaoran childishly, causing Hsui Mei to laugh again. This time, Syaoran joined her and sighed as though the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders.

"This is nice."

Hsui Mei blinked at her companion. Nice? What did he mean? Syaoran glanced sideways at her and noted her confused expression.

"It's rare for me to have an opportunity to simply be myself. It isn't appropriate as the heir of the Li clan. Thank you for allowing me to so selfishly monopolise your time, but I'm sure you're dying to rid yourself of this useless boy who can't even be who he wants to be."

Before she could even attempt to protest at his assertions, he swept up her hand in his own, took a step forward and stared deeply into her eyes. Hsui Mei felt her throat constrict and strangle her words into nothing.

"But will you do me the honour of allowing me to see you again? I have nobody else."

It took everything she had to nod, and then he was gone. Hsui Mei fell against the balcony railing, completely dazed and distracted. Had Syaoran Li just made _her_ his confidante?

"Well?" asked Meiling softly, materialising from behind a curtain as she moved in step with her cousin.

"Done. Yourself?"

She nodded her affirmative, her thoughts flickering momentarily to the boy who was currently passed out in the bathroom upstairs.

"Sakura!" she exclaimed in surprise as her friend magically appeared before them.

Without giving anybody any time to react, a resounding crack echoed through the noisy hall. Syaoran blinked. Then blinked again. When he met Sakura's green eyes, they were blurred by the tears that threatened to fall.

"Why?" she demanded so softly, in such a heartbroken tone, that Syaoran could feel his own heart, the heart he had though had turned to ashes long ago, breaking along with her own.

When the girl turned around and pulled her shoulders back as best she could to rally her spirits and finally walk away from the boy who had haunted her dreams for so many years, all Syaoran could do was watch her retreating back despite Meiling's hissing.

"Sakura!" cried Tomoyo as a wave of silky purple strands brushed past Syaoran to fall in step beside the girl who was trying so hard not to weep.

"You idiot! Go after her and tell her that everything's just a misunderstanding!" snapped Meiling, "She's been waiting for you for so long, this might be the final straw. If she hates you now, Syaoran, you'll never have another chance!"

Hate? That was right. No matter how many times he ignored her, disregarded her existence, or failed to appreciate her pain, still she hung on, hurting more and more, time after time. And it wouldn't get better. Not while he was the next in line to become the Li heir. Not while the Elders still dictated his movements. No. It might be best that she hate him for now. Not when he wouldn't be able to do anything but continue hurting her.

* * *

"Sakura! Are you okay?" asked a very concerned Tomoyo. It wasn't like her cousin to not so much as speak a word. It wasn't like her not to openly cry and then smile moments later. But then, she hadn't seen that in a long time. Not since Misaki Amamiya had come into the picture.

"Saku…"

"Daijoubu, Tomo-chan. I'd always thought that Li-kun hadn't forgotten, that he was simply waiting… but while I've been waiting for him all these years, he's been learning how to make girls smile and yet he won't even look at me, even though I've suffered for so long… waiting for him to come and comfort me…"

Tomoyo almost stepped back when Sakura turned suddenly to face her.

"Tomoyo, I will be strong for myself. Li-san will no longer be there to save me so I have to learn to stop falling."

Tomoyo could only respond to Sakura's determination with a look of compassion and despair, "Sakura, you don't…"

"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for coming to the Annual Amamiya Company Ball. I am sure that you are all intrigued as to why the ball was held a month earlier than previous years. The truth is that even I, Misaki Amamiya, am beginning to notice grey hairs in my beautiful black locks."

His guests laughed politely at his joke; Misaki was, after all, renowned for his steely grey hair. He'd been that way the moment he turned thirty, though many of his colleagues swear he was born that way.

"I would like to announce, tonight, my appointed heir to the Amamiya Company."

A wave of surprised murmuring swept across the audience and he waited patiently for it to die down before he continued.

"Sakura Amamiya, may you please come and stand next to your great grandfather."

Wordlessly, Sakura walked forward and Tomoyo instinctively grabbed her cousin's hand. Together they walked arm in arm towards their great grandfather who stood at the top of the staircase. Upon seeing this, Misaki gave an undecipherable smile.

"My dear friends, may I have the pleasure of introducing to you my two very beautiful great granddaughters, Sakura Amamiya and Tomoyo Daidouji. An old man's greatest comfort is knowing that he is able to entrust his greatest achievements to a reliable future generation. Sakura, do not disappoint me."

Sakura bowed to her great grandfather and stood silently by his side as he continued his speech. But almost nobody was paying any attention although nobody spoke. Sakura, along with the rest of the audience, knew precisely what was being implied.

_Screw up and you'll be replaced._

But whether she would live to see her replacement was another matter entirely. Suddenly, Sakura could feel a million pairs of hostile eyes on her, ready to make use of the inexperienced little girl or devour her whole.

* * *

Excuse the delay! Uni and all that. Hope you enjoyed it!

s2. Winteresque


End file.
